One Thing My Father Told Me and What I Learned from It

My father always told me, “Keep crying, and I will give you something to cry about.” despite what he obviously meant by that, it says something different to me today.

Now it points out to me that there is always something worse I could be crying about. I have MS, and I could spend my days crying because I hurt or because I have difficulty walking or because I can’t work anymore. Instead, I think of the reasons I could be crying.

My mom also had MS and she spent the last 11 years of her life bedridden. That could be me. It’s not right now, and I am glad. I do all the things I can do and refuse to give up until I have no choice.

I hurt, but I’ve learned ways to mitigate it, to some degree. I’m happy that my MS hasn’t taken all feeling from me as it has from some people.

My Mom lost her sight toward the end and was unable to read, write, or watch television. I still enjoy all these things and have new gratitude for them.

I miss working the most when I look at my bank account. I do miss being with people, but I have found other ways to be around people. I have been afforded a lease on a new life, though. I write for the local newspaper. That gives me the ability to meet a lot of new people. I also enjoy the writing.

It has also given me the time and ability to meet my writing group and foster my own writing. That is something I never had time for before. To be honest, I never felt that it would go anywhere, but my writing group has given me new confidence in my writing.

So, I don’t cry about the hand I’ve been dealt. I just play my cards the best I can and move on from there. Tears will just blur my vision!